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caliesha's review against another edition
4.0
She dealt in truths not from previous generations but from previous eras, truths she kept alive but which others had abandoned.
Devoured the first third of this under a tree while procrastinating my history of sexuality paper. The rest was slower, not unenjoyable perse, but lacking the drive and curiosity that characterized part one. Selfishly, I appreciated the reflections on Julian the Apostate (J, dead at 31) though plot-wise, I see how jarring part two must appear. It went on slightly too long and with too much distance from the main narrative. This made integrating back into Neil's life in part three challenging; the reader has lost their footing, and the jumps in time are all the more apparent. Coming out of Neil's part two essay, the EF quotes in part three lose their candidness. Part of the charm in these quotes, initially, is their esotericism. Removing this mystery (as Neil has done through his part two essay) makes EF feel flat and somewhat kitschy. The ending could have packed a greater punch too. If I were Barnes, I would have ended the story two pages earlier than he did, with the third and final iteration of his "getting our history wrong" bit. I am not Barnes, fortunately, and unfortunately, and therefore the way the story stands, it's four stars from me.
Devoured the first third of this under a tree while procrastinating my history of sexuality paper. The rest was slower, not unenjoyable perse, but lacking the drive and curiosity that characterized part one. Selfishly, I appreciated the reflections on Julian the Apostate (J, dead at 31) though plot-wise, I see how jarring part two must appear. It went on slightly too long and with too much distance from the main narrative. This made integrating back into Neil's life in part three challenging; the reader has lost their footing, and the jumps in time are all the more apparent. Coming out of Neil's part two essay, the EF quotes in part three lose their candidness. Part of the charm in these quotes, initially, is their esotericism. Removing this mystery (as Neil has done through his part two essay) makes EF feel flat and somewhat kitschy. The ending could have packed a greater punch too. If I were Barnes, I would have ended the story two pages earlier than he did, with the third and final iteration of his "getting our history wrong" bit. I am not Barnes, fortunately, and unfortunately, and therefore the way the story stands, it's four stars from me.
mdroy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
adt's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jalb's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
klaartje's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
fred312's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jessicasanderson's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
bub_9's review against another edition
2.0
Yikes. Where is the provocative intelligent Barnes I know and love(d)? I think his weakest book I've read, by far, and a big part of that is just the weird obsession with Julian (authorial hubris?) the Apostate and the dull biographical way in which that section of the book is written. And precisely because the subject-matter is so intellectual, the usual force that Barnes brings with his fabulous use of the device of the unreliable narrator falls rather flat here.
Genuinely rather disappointing.
Genuinely rather disappointing.